Big in Japan Dec 26  Jan 1: Mario Kart 7

The week of December 26 was not a good time for Sony in Japan, with the publisher's newly released portable system, the PlayStation Vita, sagging in sales on both the software and hardware fronts. Conversely, Nintendo's 3DS and the just-released Mario Kart 7 were the top earners for the week, according to the recent Media Creates sales update.

The PS Vita numbers continued to drop in its third week, from 72,479 to 42,648 units, with no Vita titles in the top 20 sales list. On the flip side, Sony's other consoles continued to do well in Japan--the PlayStation 3 held second place, with 67,199 units sold, while the PSP was just behind with 62,746 units sold.

Meanwhile, Nintendo sold 197,952 units of the 3DS for the particular week. Mario Kart 7 was in first place, with 109,463 units sold; the racing title stood alongside the 3DS iteration of Monster Hunter, with 100,042 units sold. Super Mario 3D Land was in fourth place, with 68,483 units sold, while Inazuma Eleven Go was in sixth place, with 47,938 units sold.

The only new title among the top 20 was Idolmaster Anime & G4U Pack Vol.3 for the PS3. The virtual idol simulator bundle sold 18,992 units in its debut week. Other noteworthy highlights include the recent Musou Orochi 2 for the PS3 (third place, with 73,526 units sold) and the PS3 version of Final Fantasy XIII-2 staying strong at fifth place (61,202 units sold).